Green Eyes
by Schattengestalt
Summary: A dark forest. A frozen lake. The sword of Gryffindor... and an unexpected savior.


**Author Notes:** That`s my first HP fanfic and I admit freely that I`m nervous posting it, considering how many HP fanfics are already out there.

I had written the story in German and have translated it into English, in order to post it here and I wish that you like it.

**Appreciation:** I have to thank **YenGirl**, who not only checked the story for any language errors, but also suggested to me to write a HP fanfic. The story wouldn`t exist without her, neither in English nor in German.^^

**Green Eyes**

The first heralds of the coming winter froze the nature with their icy chill. The trees had gone limp with a thin layer of ice covered the branches.

With each step he took, frozen leaves crumbled under his boots and the crisp sounds rang through the otherwise silent forest. Frowning, his dark eyes scanned his surroundings. This winter would be terrible.

No, not just because it was to become one of the coldest winters in the history of England, but also because the future of the whole world would be decided in the upcoming cold months. He sighed.

It was madness.

Yes, that was it, pure madness. Albus must have been crazy to trust a mere teenage boy with the life of millions of people. A boy, who wasn`t even able to follow the simplest of rules to brew a potion, let alone fulfill a prophecy. Severus shook his head in disdain. To think that Potter`s son would save them all! Not even James would have been up to this task and he had even managed to graduate from Hogwarts, before he started to come into conflict with the Dark Side.

"_You shouldn`t only see James when you look at the boy,"_ Severus remembered the words of the late Headmaster. _"He may look like James and even call some of his more… questionable abilities his own, but you should never forget that he is also his mother's son. He is Lily`s child."_

A sardonic laugh escaped Severus` lips. How could he ever forget that? How could he ever forget Lily? No, that was as impossible as the assumption that Voldemort would ever fall in love with someone. It would never happen.

If Potter wasn`t Lily's son then he wouldn`t been standing in this godforsaken forest, waiting for the boy to finally follow the track he had laid out for him.

Severus' dark eyes gazed at the direction where he knew Potter and his friends had set up their tent. Actually, it was rather admirable that they had been able to get this far without getting captured, although they were being searched by the Ministry and Death Eaters alike.

Well, he thought, before he could catch himself giving a compliment to the Potter brat, it was obviously thanks to Miss Granger and her outstanding magical skills that they had survived this long. It seemed like it was always up to the Muggleborns to save the day.

It was only thanks to a figure which finally made his way towards him that Severus was able to stop his thoughts at that point and didn`t start to think of Lily again. He didn`t need to take a closer look at the approaching person to know that it was Potter… and that he was alone.

The Potions Master sighed.

Had no one ever taught the boy that it could be very dangerous to follow a track which led into enemy territory alone? Obviously not. No, definitely not, if Severus thought back to all the times Potter nearly got himself killed, because he hadn`t bothered to tell someone what he was up to.

Severus could remember all too well the time when Potter had been captured by Umbridge and told him that he believed Sirius was in danger. Instead of trusting Severus' ability to understand what he truly meant with his words and understanding that Severus couldn`t acknowledge it in front of Umbridge, the brat had tried to handle the situation alone and nearly got himself killed by the Dark Lord.

Like his father, Severus cursed under his breath as he observed the boy making his way towards the frozen lake. Surprised and even slightly pleased – although he wouldn`t admit to it under torture – he noticed that Potter tried to first summon the sword, which lay at the ground of the lake, instead of jumping into the icy water right away.

Gryffindors weren`t know for their great mental performances, but it seemed that Potter had at least inherited some of Lily`s genius… or perhaps the boy possessed at least, some qualities of a Slytherin. Severus could still remember the day he discovered that the boy was a Parselmouth. One thing he wouldn`t have expected, but which impressed him, although again, he wasn`t likely to ever admit it.

Well, in that case it hardly mattered if the boy was able to think like a Slytherin, because the original owner of the sword hadn`t been some random Gryffindor, but the founder of the homonymous house at Hogwarts.

Severus shuddered. He didn`t want to imagine what kind of feats or, from his point of view, stupidities, the ancient wizard had performed, if someone had to prove himself worthy of the sword by doing something foolish like jumping into an icy lake to get the sword.

The Potion Master shivered again. He drew his coat tighter around himself as he watched Potter take off his clothes and burn a hole into the ice layer. A moment later, the boy lowered himself slowly into the freezing water.

Now, Severus could go. He should go! Albus had told him that it would be too dangerous to remain near the boy longer than absolutely necessary. They had to avoid making Voldemort suspicious although Severus doubted that the Dark Lord had nothing better to do than watch each step he made. After all, Severus had taken pains to become one of his most trusted Death Eaters and even got the Side of the Light to hate him. The risk should be minimal. Nevertheless, it was better to be a little too careful rather than face the bitter consequences should Voldemort find out.

Besides, and Severus saw no reason to share his thoughts with the former Headmaster, he didn`t want to find himself in a situation in which he would have to explain to Potter and his friends what his true motives were and what role he played in this war. No, it was easier for them if they continued thinking him a despicable traitor. With his lips pressed into a hard line, he pulled out his wand to leave the godforsaken forest, when he suddenly froze.

Where was that brat?

Severus' eyes scanned the surface of the lake frantically, but it remained still. Motionless. His gaze then swept over the untouched pieces of clothing and a cold panic clutched at his heart.

No, it couldn`t be! Not even Potter could be that daft to drown in a lake, after everything he had done to ensure his survival!

Without further thought, Severus rushed to the lake and slid over its frozen surface. He dropped to his knees in front of the hole Potter had made. He imagined he could see the head of dark hair floating in the bottomless darkness, surrounded by bubbling water, but there were no sounds accompanying that ghostly image, just a deep silence.

No, it couldn`t be true! The brat couldn't die that fast! He knew from experience how difficult it was to kill a Potter. Hell, he had never succeeded in doing James any lingering harm! And now, should Death, after all those years Severus spent in protecting the boy, claim him so easily? And to make matters worse, after followed a track Severus himself had laid out for him?

No! Lily would never forgive him for this! The very absoluteness of that one thought clinched it for him. Without wasting a thought as to his own safety, Severus paused only to remove his coat and boots before jumping into the icy water.

The freezing cold immediately surrounded him with unimagined brutality, forcing the air out of his lungs. It felt like thousands of sharp needles were piercing every inch of his body, Even the Dark Lord Cruciatuscurse was nothing compared to this new torture especially since no one would be safe anymore, if Potter did drown in that lake.

A flash of silvery light briefly illuminated the icy darkness when the moon emerged from behind the clouds. It was long enough for Severus to get a glimpse of the boy who seemed to be fighting with something although he couldn`t spot the immediate danger. Determined to reach Potter and finally get out of this freezing hell, Severus stroked towards him. He was able to grab Potter the moment the boy closed his hand around Gryffindor`s sword before he lost consciousness, his body growing limp.

Severus had to force himself to remain calm in order to reach the surface of the lake without losing Potter or the damned sword. He gasped and choked when he broke through the surface. Merlin damn it, if he ever had to do that again he would search for shallower and warmer water, preferably somewhere in the South.

It only took him a wave of his wand to bring the boy and himself back to the lakeshore where he performed a warming charm over the shivering brat. After everything he had done to save Potter, it wasn`t in his interest to let him die of hypothermia. He would have dried Potter as well, but even a Gryffindor might become suspicious if he woke up all nice and dry after he had jumped into a lake.

Severus sneered at the thought and dropped to his knees besides the boy. He used a charm to check him over for injuries, but couldn`t find any. He sighed with relief and swept his gaze over the unconscious form of the boy, coming to rest upon Potter`s pale but bruised neck. When he saw the locket, he sighed and shook his head in resignation.

It really was a wonder that Potter still lived if you took into consideration how little he thought before doing something. The locket was a magical artifact, created by the darkest wizard alive. It was only logical that it would feel the presence of the sword that could destroy it and try to prevent Harry from reaching it. Well, at least it was obvious to Severus, a Slytherin.

"Stupid boy!",Severus cursed under his breath. He would have liked to take a substantial amount of points from Gryffindor for such stupidity, but sadly, Potter wasn`t in Hogwarts anymore. Otherwise he would have gotten himself detention with him for at least the rest of the school year.

Lily wouldn`t have been so stupid. If it had been her, she would have taken off the locket before jumping into the lake. No, Severus shook his head and closed his eyes briefly as memories of the young woman came rushing back to him, leaving him with a bittersweet aftertaste.

Lily had been thoughtful, fair-minded, honest, lovable and beautiful. She had been steeped with such determination that he never doubted even for one moment that she would have been able to change the Arctic into a blooming landscape if she chose to. Nothing seemed to be impossible for her… she had even befriended him while everyone else had only regarded him with disgust and mocked him.

Severus pressed his trembling lips into a hard line. It was the cold… he wouldn`t be so sentimental if it weren't for the cold. He was a Slytherin, for Merlin's sake, not a Hufflepuff!

"_Severus, do you really hate the boy or just the fact that he isn`t your son?"_

The Potion Master snorted in the light of such an assumption, but he couldn`t stop his eyes from softening as he regarded Potter`s still form again.

"_You don`t have to separate yourself from the boy, Severus. You could be closer to him, you know. Would it be so terrible to overcome your own prejudice and tell the boy what you have done for him and the Order? Harry would take you to his heart, I`m certain of that. The boy has such a big heart it sometimes seems to me that he has a place in it for everyone who is dear to him."_

Oh yes, Severus could only agree with Dumbledore on that. Potter had even spared the traitor Pettigrew his most deserved death, but he doubted that Potter would have even considered doing the same if it had been Severus' destiny the boy had to decide.

He knew that he was unfair. He had never given Potter the chance to get him as anything other than his hated Potions Master, but that was the only way for Severus to endure the pain of loss. It was a shameful thing for a Slytherin to admit, but he wouldn`t have been able to look into the eyes of the brat and see something other than hate there. It would have been too much for him. And now, after everything he had done he didn`t deserve anything else from Potter`s son.

If it hadn`t been for his incapacity to recognize his huge mistake of becoming a Death Eater, if it hadn't been for his cowardice to tell Lily… to tell her how much he... then would Harry… have been his…

No. Severus shook his head violently. He didn't have the time to think about the past right now, but still, his eyes remained on the face of the boy, whose eyes slowly blinked open. Fascinating emerald eyes looked around confusedly at their surroundings, without seeming to make sense of what they saw.

Severus couldn`t help himself. With the recall of his memories, the rawness of his emotions and the rescue of Potter, the temptation proved too great. Before he could think twice, he had leaned over and pressed his lips over Harry`s. The boy didn`t struggle. He obviously couldn`t make sense of what happened to him right now and Severus took advantage of it.

Harry`s lips burned hot against his cold ones and opened up willingly as Severus touched them with the tip of his tongue. He took his time to involve the barely conscious boy in a deep and bittersweet kiss, all the while looking into those endlessly burning, green eyes.

Lily`s eyes.

Finally, after all those years, he knew how she would have looked at him if he had found the courage to kiss her on the day of her first date with James Potter. It took all of Severus' willpower to break that kiss.

He touched the boy`s forehead with his wand so that he would go back to sleep for at least a few minutes. Harry wouldn`t remember that their kiss had been real. He would probably think that it had been some strange dream that he would forget within the next few hours.

Severus straightened up and touched his own lips with his fingers. They still tingled as if wanting to remind him of the kiss he had stolen from the boy. With a sigh, he stood up to bring some distance between Harry and himself, so that he could Apparate to Hogwarts again.

Severus lifted his wand and once again stilled as he gazed down at Potter. The tingle in his lips had faded away but he doubted he would ever forget the feel of those soft lips against his own. The memory of the kiss had gone straight to his heart.

He sighed again in resignation. Couldn`t he be spared at least once in his life? Why did it seem like all Gryffindors wanted to complicate his life not only with their stupidity, but also by awakening unwanted feelings in him?

Severus shook his head.

"Like mother, like son!" he whispered. His eyes were full of regret as he looked at Harry for the last time before he lifted his wand again. As long as the Dark Lord was alive, Severus knew all too well he shouldn't hope for anything with Potter… not when it was still written in the stars whether they would both be alive at the end of the war.


End file.
